Friday, 2 July 2010

Boris Johnson’s massive attack on walking

Transport for London says it has identified 145 sites across the city where traffic signals could be causing unnecessary delays to motorists.

They will be holding discussions with borough councils and stakeholders about whether these traffic signals could be removed or replaced with alternative measures.

"There are few things more annoying than sitting at a traffic light on red for no apparent reason and we've now identified 145 sites where we think the signals may no longer be doing a useful job," says Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor's transport advisor.

The idea that congestion can be reduced by getting rid of pedestrian crossings is delusional.

London has around 20 per cent of the UK’s traffic congestion. This is estimated to cost the Capital’s economy at least £2 billion a year. In 2009/2010, TfL recorded the main causes of congestion as:• Collisions 28 per cent• Vehicle breakdowns 9 per cent• Highway Authority Works 19 per cent• Utility Works 19 per cent• Special Events 4 per centOther issues (e.g. spillages, general volume of traffic etc) 21 per cent

In other words, making life more difficult for pedestrians is not going to make a scrap of difference to gridlock in London. Indeed, the more you make walking and cycling unpleasant and dangerous, the more you make people want to travel by car.

It hasn’t done, of course. And while hundreds of millions of pounds were spent on car dependency, the local community was carved in two by a concrete canyon, with a pittance spent on poorly designed footbridges which are now in an atrocious condition, something this blog pointed out a long time ago.

Meanwhile in the London Borough of Waltham Forest the dedicated cycle crossing at the St Mary Road/A112 junction has now been out of action for an incredible 10 months, the dedicated cycle crossing of the A1006 remains out of action even though the roadworks have now moved up the road and there is now no possible justification for leaving the cycle lights switched off, and to add to the insults the pedestrian crossing lights at the lethal High Street/St James Street crossing have also now been switched off (see photo above), with, as always, the only priority the car.